Tmood: despite the progress of science, today almost one in two people are at risk of getting sick. How come we have been able to reduce the risk of life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular and many others, but have not been as successful against cancer?
Tumor: a complex disease
The reason is that tumors are complex diseases, never identical to each other, made of different cells that often do not follow a predictable course. However, they have one thing in common: they are made of “confused and rebellious” cells, which feed on much more than healthy ones. According to Dr. Longo’s theories, a controlled use of the fasting-mimicking diet and the Longevity Diet can help prevent, but also defeat, cancer, removing nourishment only from diseased cells. He explains it in his latest book, “Fasting Cancer” (Vallardi), Professor Valter Longo, professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences, director of the Institute of Longevity at the School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and director of the Laboratory of Longevity and Cancer at the IFOM Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan.
The fasting-mimicking diet
“Among the new therapies to treat and, in some cases, to cure tumors, perhaps the most promising is immunotherapy, which relies on the immune system to suppress cancer cells. In a series of very promising animal model studies conducted at the University of Southern California, Italy and Spain, my team and those of other researchers have shown that the fasting-mimicking diet can trigger an effect similar to that produced by immunotherapy.
This diet performs three basic functions. First, weakens cancer cells and the protective shield that the protects from the cells of the immune system. According to, promotes the production of new immune system cells, more aggressive towards the tumor. Third, increases the effectiveness of immunotherapy»Explains Professor Longo. The initial clinical trials they are also consistent with this possibility.
Fasting and cancer cells
“We eat for too many hours: in an experiment that lasted 16 weeks, people who abstained from food for 14 hours a day (and therefore ate over 10-11 hours) they achieved a reduction in body weight. They kept the result even after a year. Those who follow this dietary pattern also report feeling more energetic in general and especially in the morning, to feel less hungry at bedtime and to sleep better. However, if we monitor people who fast daily for 16 hours or more and consume food within 8 hours or less, we begin to see problems, particularly among those who skip breakfast, ”Professor Longo points out.
“Iuventology” to prevent cancer
“The cancer it is linked to advancing age because it depends on a series of factors strongly influenced by the aging process. These include: DNA damage, inflammation, impaired immune system functioning. Cancer prevention is therefore more linked to the possibility of delaying the aging process and activating anti-aging strategies. I arrived at the term “juventology” to distance myself from the idea of studying the aging process (gerontology) and focus on the study of how to stay young and healthy. With the aim not only of living longer, but also of eliminating this disease. Because cancer is not part of lifeContinues the expert.
But be careful to place all hopes of recovery only in the diet. As clearly announced on the fasting-mimicking diet website, the “ProLon it is not intended to treat or cure any disease. The Fasting Mimicking Diet can have different effects and results, depending on the psycho-physical conditions of those who use it “. A healthy diet helps, but in case of illness it is always important to consult specialists.
iO Donna © breaking latest news